Afghan violence hits home in Japan
By Kosuke Takahashi
TOKYO - The killing of a young Japanese aid worker in Afghanistan has shocked
Tokyo. It represents the deteriorating security situation in the west Asian
nation, exacerbated by the re-emergence of Taliban forces. But that's only half
the story.
This incident is likely to raise serious questions about Japan's refueling
mission for United States-led coalition vessels in the Indian Ocean, a symbol
of Tokyo's commitment to the two nations' bilateral military alliance, at a
time when Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda administration is already under pressure.
Afghan and Japanese authorities late on Wednesday identified the bullet-ridden
body of Kazuya Ito, 31, found in a valley of Nangarhar province, east of Kabul.
He had a day earlier been kidnapped by
four gunmen outside the city of Jalalabad in the province with his Afghan
driver. The driver escaped unharmed, Japanese and Western media reported.
A purported Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said the aid worker had been
killed in a gun battle between Afghan troops and insurgents, the media said. He
is the fourth foreign aid worker killed in the country in the past two weeks,
signaling the increasing activities of Taliban insurgents.
Ito had been working on agricultural development projects with residents since
December 2003, said Ito's non-governmental organization, Peshawar-kai, meaning
the Peshawar group. He had won the confidence and high respect of the local
people, Japanese colleagues said.
Fukuda expressed the country's anger at a man being killed for trying to help
others, "This is never forgivable," he said in unusually strong language.
Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura strongly condemned the Taliban's act and
offered his deep sympathy and condolences to Ito's family.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura on Thursday stressed that the
government's current aid for Afghanistan's recovery and its commitment to fight
against terrorism would remain unchanged.
"This unfortunate incident of the slaying of a young man will make the issue of
Japan's international contribution an important agenda of the Fukuda
administration," Chuichi Date, a ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Upper
House member, who has a 23-year political career, told Asia Times Online.
"We need to keep an ear close to the ground of the Japanese public and
opposition parties. They could become negative on any support for combat
areas," Date said.
Japan, backed by the nation's pacifist sentiment, has hesitated in becoming
fully involved in the US's military operations in the international fight
against terrorism. Article 9 of the constitution prohibits the use of force as
a means of settling international disputes, and the Self-Defense Force (SDF)
are authorized to fight only if Japan itself is invaded, and then only on
Japanese territory or in the surrounding sea and air.
The Fukuda administration aims to pass legislation to extend the Maritime
Self-Defense Force's refueling mission in the Indian Ocean for anti-terrorism
operations in and around Afghanistan in an extraordinary Diet (parliament)
session that starts on September 12. It failed last year to have the Diet
extend a predecessor law for the mission - a consequence of the LDP's
devastating defeat in the July, 2007, Upper House elections, which has enabled
the opposition camp to block the passage of any bills.
The government had to then temporarily halt the refueling mission in early
November. The mission resumed in mid-February after the ruling coalition of the
LDP and the New Komeito Party forced a bill through the Lower House plenary
session, where the ruling parties have a majority, an inheritance from popular
former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi. This forcible passage of the bill in
the Lower House, despite the Upper House's rejection, was the first of its kind
in 57 years.
Ichiro Ozawa, leader of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), has repeatedly
stated his opposition to the mission because it is not authorized by the United
Nations. Allegations that fuel provided by the Maritime Self Defense Force in
February 2003 may have been used for US operations in Iraq also stirred a
nationwide controversy last year. The US denied the charges.
A similar scenario could play out this winter, but this time it could lead to
the forcible dissolution of the Lower House for new elections, even possibly
bringing about a change in the main governing party from the LDP to the
opposition DPJ.
The Lower House members' terms of office expire in September 2009. But the
LDP's Date expects elections will be held as early as December.
Japan has remained generally stable under LDP-led conservative governments that
rarely relinquish power since World War II, this under the US nuclear umbrella.
"Many think the anti-terrorism refueling mission in the Indian Ocean is a
propitiatory act towards the US," Date said. "Our coalition partner New Komeito
is very cautious about it." New Komeito is Japan's largest Buddhist-backed
party.
Fukuda's passive approach, especially in shifting away from the reform-oriented
course started by the Koizumi administration, has buffeted his political
standing.
"We know we will suffer a crushing defeat in the next general election," Date
said. "But we still hope we can narrowly win a majority."
Kosuke Takahashi, a former staff writer at the Asahi Shimbun, is a
freelance correspondent based in Tokyo. He can be contacted at letters@kosuke.net.
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